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Views of the Baja Ha-Ha

Since Sunday and even earlier, the 130-ish boats in the 27th Baja Ha-Ha have scattered, many turning the corner from Cabo San Lucas into the Sea of Cortez and La Paz, with stops at scenic anchorages along the way. Some crossed over to the mainland and Mazatlán, while others headed farther down the coast for La Cruz or Puerto Vallarta. But here we take a look back at the rally down the Baja peninsula.

Baja Ha-Ha Leg 1, San Diego to Turtle Bay

Baja Ha-Ha boat parade
Ha-Ha boats parade out of San Diego Bay on their way to the start on November 1.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris
Coronado Islands with spinnakers
Sailing under spinnaker past the Coronado Islands in Leg 1, as we make our escape into Mexican waters. Boats take a wide berth around these islands, home to fish net pens.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris
Sailing onboard Shenanigans
Jim Immer steers Shenanigans while skipper Mike Clarke takes a break. Shenanigans is a J/120 now retired from a successful racing career to go cruising. Wayne and Suzie Koide’s Outbound 46 Flyer can be seen in the rearview mirror.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris

In Turtle Bay (Bahia de las Tortugas)

Halloween scarecrow
Making new friends in Turtle Bay.
© 2021 Howard Elfant
Turtle Bay beach party
The Grand Poobah (in the coral linen shirt — practically a uniform) at the Turtle Bay beach party on November 5. The beach at Turtle Bay is fabulous: flat and wide, and just the right firmness. It could take an hour to walk from one end to the other.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris

Leg 2 / Bahia Santa Maria

Spinnaker trimming with colorful kite in the background
Day 1 of Leg 2. Howard trims the kite on Shenanigans, with Lance and Amy Lindsay’s Panda 38 Lorien out of Tacoma in the background. We had the lightest wind of the rally during Leg 2.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris
Sunrise in Bahia Santa Maria
Sunrise in Bahia Santa Maria on November 8.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris
Pangas on the shore
Pangas like these ones ferried cruisers from the anchorage in Bahia Santa Maria to the rock ‘n’ roll party on shore in Bahia Santa Maria.
© 2021 Chris

Cabo San Lucas

IGY Marina in Cabo San Lucas
After the quaintness of Turtle Bay and the remoteness of Bahia Santa Maria, the return to ‘civilization’ in Cabo San Lucas was something of a shock. This is the view from the dinghy as we enter IGY Marina.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris
Check in
Checking into Mexico with the Barreda Agency, conveniently located at the dinghy dock in IGY Marina, Cabo San Lucas.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris

Some Panoramic Views

Look for much more in the December issue of Latitude 38, wherein the Grand Poobah himself will file a report with many more photos.

4 Comments

  1. Christine Weaver 2 years ago

    Did your camera capture a view of the Baja Ha-Ha that might be worthy of a Latitude 38 cover? If so please email it (or them) to [email protected]. We will need a high resolution file to print on the cover (minimum size 2 MB). Gracias!

  2. Paul Ingram 2 years ago

    Brought smiles to my face. “Rancho Relaxo” – class of 2011.

  3. Patricia Drinkwater 2 years ago

    What wonderful memories of this incredible adventure of the Baja Ha-Ha! Thank you to all who helped to make it possible for me to participate! Gracias! Patti Drinkwater

  4. Pat McIntosh 2 years ago

    If you’re “on the fence” because of the list of things yet to complete, here’s some great advice we got in ’06: JUST GO! Some of the items on the ‘to-do list’ were still on the list after we got back when we sold the boat in ’08. JUST GO!

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Cruising with Whales
The weather was perfect: 75 degrees, plenty of sunshine, and light, variable breeze, though we did have to head offshore to find enough to fill the sails.
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John Taussig is a paramedic, USCG 50-Ton Master License holder, adventure sailor, and executive director for Backcountry Medical Guides. He’s been an EMT and paramedic professional for 20 years and is a lifelong sailor.